The Board denied service connection for left ankle strain, left foot plantar fasciitis, and lumbar spine disorder (scoliosis and degenerative arthritis) as the evidence did not support a finding of in-service injury or disease leading to these conditions.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of the evidence does not establish that the Veteran's current diagnoses are related to his service, including an incident where he fell on a frozen deck during service.
- Claimed conditions
- Left ankle strain, Left foot plantar fasciitis, Lumbar spine disorder (scoliosis and degenerative arthritis)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 2, 2019
- Citation
- A19001682
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the Veteran's claims for additional VA examinations to properly evaluate the current severity of her disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter for additional development, including obtaining updated VA and private treatment records and information from the Veteran's former federal employers.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for plantar fasciitis on the right and left foot, left and right ankle strain, left and right knee osteoarthritis, and left and right hip strain, all secondary to service-connected back and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy disabilities with weight gain/obesity as an intermediate step.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's appeal to restore a separate 20% evaluation for left foot plantar fasciitis, finding that there was clear and unmistakable error in the original award of service connection.
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